Masonry shelf bracket



Jan. 16, 1962 L. P. SCARPETTI MASONRY SHELF. BRACKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6, 1960 INVENTOR. LORENZO P. SCARPETTI.

BY I M ATTORNEYS,

Jan. 16, 1962 L. P. SCARPETTI 3,017,155

' MASONRY SHELF BRACKET Filed Jan. 6, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

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3,017,155 MASONRY SHELF BRACKET Lorenzo P. Scarpetti, 1204 Beaver Ave, Ellwood City, Pa. Filed fan. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 870 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-235) The present invention relates generally to erection of masonry walls and, more specifically, to a bracket for removable insertion into the wall being erected to support a shelf for bricks or blocks and tools used by the workman in erection of the wall.

During the erection of a wall of brick, concrete block or other manually handled building materials, the workman stands upon a suitable platform or scaffold which is periodically raised after the wall reaches a height such that the workman can no longer conveniently place the mortar, brick, etc. in position. Such platform or scaffold also serves to support the brick and other tools used in erecting the wall. Consequently, as the wall increases in height above the platform, the workman must stoop to pick up a brick and mortar and raise same increasing distances to the top of the wall for placement. This increased physical effort results in fatigue which impairs the efliciency of the workman and slows the work.

One object of the present invention is to provide a bracket which may be inserted into the soft mortar between two newly laid bricks and serve to support a shelf, at working height, to receive the brick, mortar and tools used by the workman. Such a bracket may be removed and reinserted into the rising wall, for increasing the height of the shelf a plurality of times before it is necessary to raise the scafiolding upon which the workman stands.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bracket which may be readily inserted and removed without damage to the adjacent bricks or to the mortar joints above the place of insertion of the bracket.

These and other objects of the invention will be made apparent from the following description and the drawing forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a portion of a wall being erected with the bracket of the invention in place, above a workman supporting scaffold (not shown);

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation of the bracket of FIG. 1, with a shelf plank in place;

FIG. 3 shows a front elevation of the bracket;

FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a second form of bracket which may be used as a joint between the shelf planks;

FIG. 5 shows a side elevation of the bracket of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 shows a front elevation of the bracket of FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of a detachable plate which may be mounted on the bracket of FIG. 1 to provide a bracket such as shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 shows a side elevation of the detachable plate.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive of the drawing, bracket A comprises a top portion 1 for insertion through a mortar joint, a depending portion 2 overlying the previously erected wall portion and an outwardly extending portion 3 for support of a shelf plank B.

Bracket portion 1 is of a width less than the thickness of the mortar joint between adjacent ends of the wall bricks 5 and of a length greater than the horizontal width of the brick 5. One end of portion 1 is provided with a depending portion 4 having an inner inwardly inclined face 6 for engaging the rear vertical face of the brick. The opposite end of portion extends outwardly of the front vertical face of brick 5. The vertical height of portion 1 is less than that of the adjacent vertical faces of bricks 5 and preferably has a lower edge 7 for support upon the underlying brick face.

The bracket portion 2 overlying the front face of the bricks 5, has its upper end secured to bracket portion 1 by any suitable means. One such means is toprovide a slot 3 therein, extend the adjacent end of bracket portion 1 therethrough and weld them together. When so connected, the minimum distance between face 6 of portion 1 and the inner face of bracket portion 2 is slightly greater than the width of brick 5 to be received between them. The bracket portion 3 is of a length sufficient to receive a suitable shelf plank, as shown in FIG. 2, and is provided with an upwardly extending plank retaining flange 9. If desired, portion 3 may be reinforced by the member 10 whose opposite ends are connected respectively to bracket portions 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2,, bracket positions 2a and 3 are shown as being integral and portion 2b is secured to portion 201 so as to depend therefrom, with reinforcement member 10 connected to the depending portion 2b and to portion 3. Obviously, portion 2b and member 10 may be omitted from the bracket A where the remaining portions 211 and 3 are of sufficient strength to support the weight placed on portion 3 by plank B and the bricks supported by said plank. Likewise, the bracket portions 2a and 2b may be integral and bracket portion 3 made as a separate member having its inner end welded to bracket portion 2.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawing, the bracket C is similar to bracket A. As shown, the only variation in bracket C from the construction in bracket A is the addition of the bracket portion 11. The said portion 11 is substantially greater in width than bracket portion 3 so as to receive and support adjacent ends of shelf planks where a long shelf is erected. Thus, two end brackets A would support the ends of two planks B and a bracket C intermediate the brackets A, would support the adjacent ends of planks B disposed in substantially abutting arrangement upon member 11 of bracket C.

The bracket illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 comprises the portions 1, 2a and 2b as previously described in relation to FIG. 1. The portion 3a is similar to portion 3 of FIG. 1, without the flange 9 of portion 3. Mounted upon the portion 3 is the member 11 and secured thereto by any suitable means, such as welding. Said member 11 extends beyond opposite sides of portion 3 and is pro vided with 'a shelf plank retaining flange 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, wherein is shown an alternate form of bracket C identified as bracket D. The bracket D comprises the bracket A having a member 11a removably mounted thereon. The member 11a i a flat rectangular sheet having mounted on the lower face thereof fixed clamping bracket 20. This latter comprises the spaced portions 13 and 14 connected by portion 15, a flange 16 on portion 14 and a second flange 17 on said flange 16. When the free ends of portion 13 and flange 17 are welded to member 11a, spaces 18 and 19 are provided between member 11a and said clamping bracket 20. The plate 11a may then be mounted upon portion 3 of bracket D by first inserting flange 9 into the opening 18 of clamping bracket 20 and moving plate 11a inwardly of bracket portion 3 until the flange 9 projects beyond the plate 11a. Plate 11a is then moved transversely of the bracket D to engage portion 3 within space 19 of clamping bracket 20. Thereafter, the plate 11a is moved so as to engage its adjacent edge with flange 9 on portion 3. Bracket D is now the functional equivalent of bracket C. For ready manipulation, plate 11a is made of a width less than the spacing between flange 9 of portion 3 and portion 2a of bracket A.

Brackets A, C and D are relatively light in weight and a workman may readily mount and remove them from the wall being erected. By way of illustration and not limitation upon the invention, a standard brick is 8 x 3%" x 2%" and is customarily laid with the 8" dimension longitudinally of the wall and the 3%" dimension transversely of the wall. When brackets are suitably placed, the shelf planks B can be 1'' x 4 or 2" X 4" sizes which are readily available around any new construction. Thus, brackets formed of A; metal as little as 1 wide are adequate.

The bracket portion 1 may be readily inserted through the moist mortar joint between adjacent ends of the bricks 5 of the top course shown in FIG. 1, or in the next lower course, by pushing the end 4 of portion 1 through the mortar and then moving the bracket downwardly to engage face 6 of bracket portion 1 behind the adjacent lower brick. The bracket is thus suspended upon the Wall by face 7 of bracket portion 1 and inner face of bracket portion 2. The brackets can be spaced along the Wall at 6 to 8 feet intervals and shelf planks mounted thereon to receive the bricks and tools used in raising the wall above the brackets. When it is desired to remove the brackets, the planks are first removed, then each bracket is moved first upwardly then outwardly for removal from and reinsertion into the wall. The mortar joint from which the bracket was removed may then be refilled or repointed. Since the brackets are normally inserted and removed several times a day, the mortar does not harden to prevent bracket removal. Should the brackets remain mounted in the wall overnight, the mortar remaining about bracket portion 1 does not normally harden sufliciently to prevent ready removal of the brackets. As a precaution, the Workman may first raise and then return bracket portion to place, to insure easy removal before leaving the job at night.

The base bracket A and the modifications thereof, as well as the dimensions thereof, as described herein are for purposes of illustration and not limitation except as made necessary by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A load-supporting bracket for removably mounting in a masonry Wall during erection thereof in combination,

a vertically-disposed bearing member for engaging the front face of the wall, a load-supporting member connected to and extending outwardly from said verticallydisposed bearing member intermediate the ends thereof, a thin member secured to the said bearing member adjacent the upper end thereof and extending rearwardly thereof for insertion into a vertical moist mortar joint between adjacent members of one course of said masonry wall, an inner depending portion on said thin member in spaced relation to said vertical bearing member for overlapping engagement with the rear face of a masonry member underlying said mortar joint upon said thin member engaging the upper face of said latter masonry member, said load-supporting member having a diagonal brace connected thereto adjacent the outer end thereof and extending to said bearing member below said loadsuppor-ting member, said load-supporting member having an upstanding flange thereon, a detachable plate-like member disposed upon the upper face of said load-bearing member and extending transversely thereof beyond the side margins thereof and between said load-bearing flange and the vertically-disposed bearing member, and a clamping member secured to the underface of said plate-like member, said clamping member having a first intermediate portion spaced from the plate-like member for passage of said load-bearing member flange therethrough and a second intermediate portion communicating with said first-named portion and in lesser spaced relation to the plate to receive said load-bearing member when the flange of the load-bearing member extends beyond the outer end of said plate-like member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 850,662 Lorenz Apr. 16, 1907 1,260,123 Areson Mar. 19, 1918 1,591,648 Sittig July 6, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 324,990 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1930 325,764 Switzerland Jan. 15, 1958 new. 

